Public’s Help Sought in Locating Suspect Who Fled Scene After Fatally Striking Motorcyclist in Santa Ana

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Police in Santa Ana are asking for the public’s help in locating a man wanted in connection with the fatal hit-and-run of a motorcyclist last week.

Luis Eduardo Distancia, wanted in connection with a fatal hit-and-run of a motorcyclist on March 14, 2017, is seen in a photo released by the Santa Ana Police Department.

Luis Eduardo Distancia, 45, is the owner and operator of a white Ford Econoline van that fatally struck a motorcyclist Friday evening at the intersection of Standard Avenue and Walnut Street, the Santa Ana Police Department announced Monday in a statement.

Officers respond to the scene of a hit-and-run in Santa Ana on March 17, 2017. (Credit: Anthony Bertagna / Santa Ana Police Department)

Surveillance video from a local business shows around 4:47 p.m. Friday the vehicles were traveling in opposite directions on Standard Avenue, when the driver of the white van turned left directly in front of the motorcyclist’s path.

It appears that the motorcyclist tried to stop, but crashed into the van’s front fender.

Police said the driver of the van fled the scene, but was followed by a witness who provided police with a license plate.

The white van involved in the fatal crash was located by police Saturday, but Distancia has yet to contact police.

Surveillance video caught the moment a van and a motorcycle collided in Santa Ana on March 17, 2017. (Courtesy: Santa Ana Police Department)

He is described as Hispanic, about 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighing 160 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.

The motorcyclist, identified as 36-year-old Eduardo Estrada Luevano, of Santa Ana, died of his injuries at a local hospital, police said.

A GoFundMe page has been set up by Estrada’s family and friends to support his funeral expenses.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Distancia is asked to contact SAPD Traffic Division Investigator W. Hadley at 714-245-8214, or whadley@santa-ana.org. Anonymous tipsters can call Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS.